Friday Freebie-- Be Glamorous

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is your Friday Freebie courtesy of Bella Parola. All Friday Freebies are Angela Bailey originals. :-) Enjoy!

Please click here to access the downloadable freebie!

Leave a comment if you download this image, please! Oh and read over the terms of use below, so you don't get in trouble! ;-) Have a great weekend!

Copyright Angela Bailey 2011

TERMS OF USE

You May NOT:
1. Redistribute the digital file for sale.
2. Claim this as your own work.
3. Sell creations made with this work including but not limited to framing this print and reselling, matting this print and reselling, using this print in website layouts, etc.
4. Alter the digital file in any way, including removing my digital signature.

You May:
1. Print for your own personal use in decorating.
2. Print and frame as a gift.

Have a spectacular weekend!

Call Me Crazy...

I am obsessed with beautiful fabrics. Yep. It's true. I LOVE sewing, crafting, graphic designing, etc. My sister, Kristin, is the visual artist/sewer. I am the crafter/sewer. Our sister, Hannah (16) is really into her wire-bending jewelry-making as well as sketching. We're all a bit artsy fartsy, but in different ways. The hubs is into photography, but that about covers it as far as visual/creative arts go. He plays guitar/bass/drum/ukulele/banjulele (yes that is real) but that's a whole other topic.

Source 

Oh Pinterest...you've done it again. I found this on there today while I was perusing (read: scouring) other people's pins. I literally LOLed at it. It fits Vance and I so much! The hubs is a computer programmer/customer service/I'm not exactly sure what he does because when he starts speaking code my brains start leaking out my ears. As I said above, I am crafty. I am a card-making, jewelry-producing, scrap-booking, sewing fiend, and I am PROUD of it. (You only wish you were as cool as we.)

Anyway...my latest project that I've decided to take on (read: haven't started yet...or gotten past the dreaming stage yet) is making a quilt. I admit, I am scared. I have wanted to make a quilt for sooo long, but I am scared of spending so much on fabric to make a quilt and then somehow screwing it up beyond repair. There's a quilting group that meets at church once a month, but I HATE going places by myself, even though I know a few of the ladies there. It also meets during the evening hours that I spend with the hubs. (Why yes we are attached at the hip thankyouverymuch.)

SO! Now that I've decided to make a quilt...which do I make? How much fabric do I need? What kind of batting? Do I have to free hand the quilting or can it be simpler? Do I need binding? Should I make a block quilt or something with sashing? What is sashing anyway? Yeah. my brain is still whirling just thinking about all of those things. Well, as luck would have it, my friend, Jenn, posted an easy beginner's quilt with step-by-step directions on one of her Pinterest boards the VERY DAY I decided I wanted to make a quilt.

Source

As I read through the instructions, it seemed like I could do it! HOORAY! The instructions are really simple to understand AND if something is confusing, SEVERAL people are available to help you! Dream come true for those of us who have no quilting experience and no family members who seem to have a clue (except maybe my grandma, but she has more experience sewing/making clothes.)

Are any of you looking to take on a new sewing project? Anyone care to join me in this adventure?

I am DETERMINED to see this project through. Here's hoping it happens before Christmas! ;-)

Pregnancy, Prints, and Parola, Oh My!

Greetings friends!
I realize I have been absent for quite a bit these past couple of weeks. For that I apologize. I am just working a lot, starting a new business, feeling naused out, etc. So...let's get down to business.

I know my post title mentions pregnancy and for anyone who read my last blog entry, TTC, you know my husband and I have been trying to have a baby for the past year or so. Well...I am not getting my hopes up too high, nor am I jumping to conclusions, but let me lay the facts out for you...
1. I used an ovulation prediction kit this month. I got a smiley face (meaning I was going to ovulate within a couple of days) June 21st, or day 19 of my cycle.
2. My cycle lasts 31-34 days.
3. The hubs and I did the baby dance (Thanks Amy @ Dandelion Paperweight for that term! Love it!)
4. I have been naused out for the last week and a half to two weeks. It only happens every so often. I've only had the urge to vomit 2 or 3 times during that time.
5. I'm on day 39 of my cycle. Still no period or signs that I'm going to get one.
6. I have taken two pregnancy tests that came back negative.
7. My mom's second pregnancy (my sister Kristin) only came back positive with a blood test.
8. My mom only had real "morning" sickness with my sister, Hannah (her third pregnancy.)
Conclusion: I might be pregnant. I might not be pregnant. Still too early to tell, but it's nice to think of the possibility, without allowing my hopes to get up too high. Every time I go to the bathroom, I'm afraid I'm going to see the start of my period. So far...so good. Keep praying for/thinking of me, please! Positive thoughts, people, positive thoughts!!

Which brings me to item number two/three in my title. Prints and Parola. Prints as in the digital kind. Parola as in "word" in Italian. I have now opened an Etsy shop called Bella Parola (meaning Beautiful Word) selling digital prints. Each print can be customized with background color, font type, font color, and optional single or double borders. Each print is 300ppi and is emailed to you as an 8x10 JPEG file. You may then print it at home or have it professionally printed at Wal-Mart, Shutterfly, CVS, etc. You may use the print in your own home decorating in places such as nurseries, bedrooms, living rooms, entry ways, hallways, etc. OR give a framed copy to a friend or family member as a gift. Don't see the quote/song lyric/saying/verse that you'd like? No problem! Just email me with your request and I will make one for you! I also have a Bella Parola Facebook page. If you have FB, please check me out and "like" my page on there, too!

Here are a few "proof" samples:

Brunch at Saks: DIY: Paper Flowers

These lovely DIY flowers had me at hello!

My best friend's wedding is coming up in May. Guess what will be decorating the aisle as we walk down? Yup. You guessed it. We're makin' flowers baby! She is working on doing straight cut 4x4 flowers. I am doing scalloped cut 6x6 flowers. The variety is gorgeous! Each flower only takes a couple of minutes to make. I plan on making some, adding some floral wire, possibly some floral tape, some leaves, and some ribbon and putting them in a vase. Has anyone else made these? I highly recommend them! They're super easy and very fun!

Here are a couple I made!

Here's one Sabrina made!

Here are some after we got the hang of it yesterday! 

Notice the detail the scalloped edge scissors add?

Brunch at Saks: DIY: Paper Flowers

Happy Crafting!

~A

Hungry? Feed Your Soul!

Have you ever searched long and hard for something online and, with much regret, not find what you're looking for? I know I have! I am constantly looking for "artsy," "vintagey," and/or "unique" art pieces to add to my collection and to use in future decorating endeavors. I have tried creating my own, but seem to lack vision of the "how to" and see only the finished project. My sister Kristin seemed to have gotten all of the visual artist genes in the family, because I simply cannot figure out how to execute such cute, yet, flavorful items. (I guess I'll stick to crafting!)

Today, I was browsing online when I came across a wonderful assortment of artwork. The best part about these delectable prints is that they are FREE! Hm. Maybe the best thing about the prints is that they're exactly what I've been searching for! Or MAYBE, it's the combination of the two?

Feed Your Soul: the free art project

Here's how it works:

a. Select artists submit a print each month.

b. The prints are posted to the site.

c. You visit the website and peruse the posted artwork.

d. Decide which piece(s) you like.

e. Click on your selection(s).

f. It/they download(s) to your computer.

g. Print it out on cardstock (or your paper of choice).

h. Put it in a frame or hang it in your home however you see fit!

Three reasons why I love this site:

1. It's FREE!

2. It's EASY!

3. It's flippin' adorable!

Suggested Ideas For Using This Site:

I. Nursery/kid's room

II. Homemade Greeting Cards

III. Scrapbooking

So, whether you're looking for something to spice up your kitchen or unique images to incorporate in your crafting, Feed Your Soul is just what you need to fill you up!

~A